The Swedish dressage team, which had originally won gold at the 1948 Games, was subsequently disqualified on April 27, 1949 by the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) and with the approval of the IOC. Gehnäll Persson had been promoted to lieutenant three weeks before the competition. Just two and a half weeks after the competition, the Swedish army demoted him back to sergeant. According to the regulations at the time, only officers and “gentlemen riders” were eligible to take part, but not non-commissioned officers. Since Persson had only been promoted for the period surrounding the games, this was considered a violation of the rules. The incident led to the FEI modernizing its entry conditions, which were perceived as outdated.[2]
Competition format
The team and individual dressage competitions used the same results. A test was to be carried out from memory by each rider within 13 minutes, losing half a point for every second over the time limit.[3]
